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Off-line electronic cipher machine (wanted item)
KL-51 is an off-line cipher machine, developed by the NSA
in the early 1980s, as a replacement for the ageing KL-7
[1].
Unlike the mainly mechanical KL-7, the KL-51 is a fully electronic device,
with the exception of the paper tape reader and puncher.
It is still in use today.
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The image on the right shows a typical KL-51 unit, as it is on public
display at the NCM in Fort Meade (USA) [1].
It is an all-in-one unit, that is housed in a compact ruggedized case.
Messages are entered via the high-quality QWERTY keyboard, that has
several coloured keys.
Output is via a build-in (red) LED display, that is situated above
the keyboard. This display is also used when
entering and selecting the appropriate cryptographic key.
Crypto variables were loaded into the KL-51 by means of a paper tape,
instead of using an external key filler, such as the KYK-13
or the older KOI-18. The paper tape
reader is situated to the right of the keyboard. The reader was also
used to load off-line prepared messages.
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KL-51 was also used by NATO and by the Canadian Defence Forces, where it
was known as RACE (Rapid Automatic Cryptographic Equipment).
When NATO was looking for a replacement to the ageing
KL-7, they initiated an evaluation under the code name CEROFF.
Eventually, in 1982, the match ended in a remittance, with the Philips
Aroflex
and RACE (KL-51) being the two winning machines.
As a result, Philips Usfa
made Aroflex' proprietary cryptographic algorithm
available for RACE, making both machines compatible [2].
The RACE KL-51 was built for NATO by
Standard Telefon og Kabelfabrik A/S
in Norway,
also known as STK,
probably under licence from the NSA.
At present, it is unclear, whether the Aroflex CEROFF algorithm was implemented
in the KL-51 by the NSA or by the manufacturer STK.
If it was done by the NSA, it seems likely that all
KL-51 machines were Aroflex compatible.
NATO chose for a so-called split-procurement, leaving it to the
end-user to decide which machine to buy; RACE or Aroflex.
Although RACE was sold to a number of NATO countries and Canada,
Aroflex eventually turned out to be the more popular one [3].
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Although the KL-51 was developed during the early 1980s, some units
were still in use in the late 2000s. In 2006, the US Navy was developing
plans to replace the remaining KL-51 units with a more modern device [4].
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A possible candidate for this replacement could be the
KIV-7, which is extremely small and is available
in several variants as a commercial off-the-shelf product (COTS).
The KIV-7 is also backwards compatible with a number
of older cipher systems, including the KG-84.
 More information
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At present, no further information about the KL-51 is available.
If you have more information, such as a user manual or stories about
its use, please contact us.
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Any links shown in red are currently unavailable.
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© Copyright 2009-2012, Paul Reuvers & Marc Simons. Last changed: Mon,14 May 2012.09:44:07
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![Image by Austin Mills. Taken from Wikipedia Commons [1].](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a8/KL-51.nsa.jpg "Image by Austin Mills. Taken from Wikipedia Commons [1].")
